


Xyresic

by PurpleArrowzandLeather



Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, We should have met Andal Brask, What-If, vengeance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-30
Updated: 2019-09-30
Packaged: 2020-11-08 00:44:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20826545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PurpleArrowzandLeather/pseuds/PurpleArrowzandLeather
Summary: Andal Brask was Cayde's best friend and brother in life. In death, all he is is a void that Cayde can't seem to fill. Only the cloak over his shoulders reminds him that he has a promise to keep.OrWhat if Kayleigh tracked down Taniks' collection to finally put Andal to rest?





	Xyresic

**Author's Note:**

> This one is more of a what-if fic, and so I'm not attaching it to my big series, but I would have loved to have met Andal Brask. If you like is this way, you can let me know. There's a way for me to work it into my huge storyline should I so choose. The Dare isn't meant to be won, so I'm gonna go ahead and guess that Cayde would have ended up Hunter Vanguard whether Andal died or not.  
Also, I own nothing.

Cayde wasn’t supposed to be there. 

He followed Andal to his meeting with the Reef queen and tracked them to Venus. Cayde isn’t sure if Andal knows he’s there or not, but he’s sticking around either way. He’s not about to let Andal fend for himself against whatever is included in Mara’s bounty. 

He’s not supposed to be out of the Tower. 

Cayde uses his sniper from afar to save Andal’s hide more than once. Saying he leaves himself open would be an overstatement because of the sheer number of Fallen surrounding them. Saying that Andal is getting a little tired would be just about right. Even through his scope, Cayde spots the darkness of sweat on the neck of Andal's cloak. 

It doesn’t bode well that they haven’t reached the target yet. 

On the ground, Andal swipes at the catch of his helmet, missing it and panting as the heat gets the best of him. It’s disgustingly humid. His armor seems too thick and too thin all at once due to the pairing of heat and the amount of enemies around them. 

Checking his mag, Andal pulls his helmet off for a quick breather. “Everyone all right?” 

The team that he’s with confirms for him as he sits down. At this rate, he’ll probably die via heat stroke before they ever reach Taniks. The pair of Awoken men under Mara’s employ glance back at him with concern, but he merely shakes his head, running a hand through his matted hair. 

“We’ve gotta move, Brask.” 

Andal takes a deep breath, nodding once and securing his helmet again. He doesn’t get why the Awoken seem so tireless, but he supposes that their gift from the Traveler works in odd ways. Sadly, there isn’t anything he can do about it. 

Way above him in the rafters of the Fallen hideout, Cayde picks up his rifle to move with them. 

Andal, if only for a brief moment, feels eyes on his back. It’s not an unfamiliar notion, but it doesn’t put him on edge the way he expects it to. Being watched generally isn’t a comfort to a Hunter. 

It’s weird, but he has to ignore it because of how fast the Awoken are moving. 

Eventually, he does end up dead under the fire of a wire rifle. The Awoken stare after him, not even bothering to guard his Ghost when he comes out in the open to revive him. 

Cayde has the urge to take a shot at them. 

He ignores it, if only for Andal’s sake. The Awoken certainly don’t need to know he’s there, and Andal would be a little ticked if he found out. He doesn’t like it when Cayde ignores his orders to stay put. He tries to follow the orders, he really does, but he’s pretty sure Mara doesn’t care if Andal lives or dies. Someone has to be watching his back. 

It isn’t long before they reach Taniks’ den and Cayde has almost nowhere to hide. He finds a spot under the steps after a brief moment of invisibility, the space just big enough for him to move around and have full range of the area. 

Cayde lends a hand where he can, keeping the smaller guys out of Andal’s blind spot as he whirls. Something has his attention and Cayde realizes Taniks must be standing above his head on the landing. He laughs at Andal, the sound croaking and scratching enough to make Cayde tense. 

Many, many little Fallen flood into the room, the two Awoken men being overwhelmed almost immediately and the rest rounding on Andal’s position. The human Hunter snarls, his stance lowering defensively. An arc blade swirls to life in his palm and he springs on the first Dreg that comes close. Cayde picks off as many as he can while Andal is busy cutting through the mass of enemies. As much as he wants to help, it’s better for him to stay hidden. 

Andal’s super energy dwindles after a few more strokes and he stumbles. Taniks simply watches him with curiosity for a long while as he gathers himself. His long strides are matched by Andal’s short ones, the lone Hunter keeping his distance. 

“What are you waiting for?” Andal hisses. 

Taniks doesn’t answer him, still watching Andal as his chest heaves and his frame quakes. He’s exhausted, and it’s clear he’s having a hard time getting his second wind. 

Taniks makes a noise. “Reinforcements.” 

Andal’s breath hitches as more Fallen file into the room, spreading out around him until he’s cornered. The hand cannon in his grip comes up, his aim true as he fights through the small army around him. Shock pistol burns cover his shoulders and back after a short while and he finally crashes into a heap in the center of the room. Taniks jumps down next to him, picking him up by the back of the neck and laughing as he squirms. The effort is weak, and they both know it. One of Taniks’ many arms jams a knife up under his ribs. 

Cayde can’t help it. He moves. 

He flies at Taniks, the Hunter in his grip slamming down to the floor with a rough gasp. He drags himself to cover, watching Cayde as well as he can while he pulls off his helmet. Andal pants, pressing a hand to his side with a groan. It’s getting harder to breathe, and he probably won’t last any more than a couple of minutes. Cayde is doing his best, but Andal isn’t about to miraculously recover. 

The most he can offer is a few shots from his hand cannon before his vision gets too blurry to help. 

He’s about to slip into unconsciousness when he hears Cayde shouting. He’s snaps back to awareness, looking around even as he fights dizziness. Cayde’s metal frame is thrown down mere feet away from Andal’s hiding spot and Taniks places a foot on his chest. The Exo squirms, but it doesn’t do any good. His weapons are gone and his solar energy is barely wrapping around his wrist as he tries to summon his golden gun. 

Too much energy. 

Taniks moves back, slamming his huge fists down on Cayde’s chest until his armor fails and it’s clear he’s not getting up. Andal doesn’t move, hoping he’s out of the way enough not to be seen. 

Even against his protests, his Ghost appears behind his back, healing him under the pretense of safety. “Hide, Regs. Y-you gottta-” Andal coughs. “Gotta h-hide.” 

“Andal, you’ll d-” 

He doesn’t get a chance to finish the sentence, a shot from Taniks’ weapon taking him down. Andal grips his shell, too exhausted to properly register it and too close to death to fight Taniks as he approaches. 

Cayde, even as injured as he is, turns his head and reaches out a hand to Andal. “Andal....” 

Taniks rolls Andal onto his back, poking at the clasps of his cloak and tilting his head at the blood coating the floor. He pulls the cloak until it pops off, the clasps nearly snapping in the effort. After that, he simply waits for Andal’s chest to stop rising as falling, though Andal is fighting it, not even bothering to put him out of his misery. Cayde watches, unable to do anything. 

Andal gasps, his breaths drawing shorter until they’re little more than a squeak. 

Taniks laughs, plucking Andal’s Ghost from his hand and dragging the dead Hunter Vanguard by the collar of his armor. He doesn’t even seem to care that Cayde is still right there watching him. He’s helpless to do anything but let them leave, suffering there on the ground until it’s safe for Wash to come out. It takes too long. 

Far too long. 

As soon as he fixes him up and mends his armor, Cayde is running, but Wash stops him. “It’s too late, Cayde. They’re gone.” 

Cayde halts in his tracks. “How far ahead are they?” 

Wash tilts backwards, shrinking a little bit. “They’re... gone. I couldn’t track them.” 

“Couldn’t or didn’t want to catch a bullet in the process?” 

The Ghost is quiet. 

It takes a long time, but Cayde finally calms enough to realize that he wouldn’t want Wash to risk his well-being, even if he could have followed Taniks. “I’m sorry, little buddy, I just....” 

“I know.” 

Cayde clenched his metal jaw, moving back towards the stain on the floor. The cloak that Taniks ripped away from his friend’s corpse is saturated with blood, but Cayde takes it up anyway. 

Wash drifts closer to him. “What... do you want me to do with it?” 

“Clean it.” 

All it takes is a moment, but Cayde is ready. He sheds his own cloak and clips Andal’s onto his shoulders. It shocks him to no end when it sits on his shoulders just right. 

****** 

Even though he does go back to the Tower to hold up his end of the Dare, he has his (Andal’s) scouts hunting for his friend. To not search for him, even trapped in the tower, would be a betrayal to Andal. Though, he’s pretty sure that one of these days he’s gonna choke on the short leash Zavala has on him. He doesn’t get to go out past the wall because Zavala is very aware that the moment he does, he’s headed straight for Venus. 

But... because it was a promise to Andal, he stays. He stays when he could be hunting – stays when he could be free. 

After all, he lost the Dare. 

Even with that loss under his belt, nothing compares to the anger he feels towards Taniks, the bitter contempt, for Andal’s murder. The very moment an opportunity presents itself, he’s going to put a bullet in Taniks’ skull. For Andal. 

For his brother. 

****** 

It’s been _years_. Maybe not as long as it feels like, but long enough to be too long. 

Taniks is still alive. That’s the thing that eats at him the most after all this time. Andal’s death was never avenged. Andal’s body was never found. That damn Fallen.... He collected Andal and disappeared into the wind. It should have been impossible, but he did it. 

Time hasn’t dulled the pain like so many say it does, but perhaps it’s the lack of closure that has kept the fire inside him burning. Perhaps it was loose ends that made his blood boil when the Reef Queen sent everyone’s (Cayde's) favorite Guardian after Taniks. If he had blood anymore, that is. 

Kayleigh hunted down Taniks for him. She swore to him that she would kill Taniks even if it cost her everything, and she did it. But... she also had one more promise to keep. 

“_Cayde__? Are you there?” _

Cayde comes to attention immediately, her tone over the comms more than serious. Zavala looks up at him with an unreadable expression. Cayde wasn’t even supposed to be in the room for this op because of how close to it he is, but he refused to be removed. The fact that Zavala is looking at him like he expects him to bolt or shatter into a million pieces isn’t a comfort. 

“Y-yeah. M’... M’ right here, Kayleigh.” 

“_I found him." _

Zavala doesn’t even have the chance to reach out and stop Cayde before he’s out of the room. The Titan Vanguard locks down his docking privileges before he even reaches the hangar, but overriding the order is all too easy. He’s a Hunter. The fact that Zavala thought it would be that simple is almost sad. 

Kayleigh is waiting for him when he arrives, Wash tracking her signal with ease. 

She’s standing in front of a pod. The container is translucent, amber liquid inside holding Andal upright in a suspended animation of some sort. He stares at the pod for the longest time, his oldest friend looking just as he had the day Cayde lost him. His dead Ghost drifts in the liquid just next to his head. 

Even as an Exo, it’s like the strength in his knees fails and he stumbles to the floor. Kayleigh supports him on the way down, crouching just behind him as he goes slack. 

She watches his back while he takes his time, dwelling on guilt that he’s buried for too long. 

The moment is fleeting and forever, but eventually, she helps him to his feet. Wash hovers just inside the ridge of Cayde’s cloak, keeping close to comfort him. It doesn’t work, but he’s not about to tell him that. 

He realizes by now that Kayleigh isn’t allowing herself to break down for his sake. Andal was her friend too. Even Wash is giving him what he can, blocking any incoming transmissions from the Tower. 

Cayde approaches the stasis pod as if he were walking through wet cement, each step feeling heavier than the last. With a weighted glance back at Kayleigh, he opens the pod. The liquid comes splashing out and Andal along with it. Cayde catches the soaked Hunter, easing him to the floor as if he were fragile and in danger of breaking. 

Kayleigh picks up his Ghost. She spins the rotors until they’re aligned properly, brushing her thumb over the lens to clear it if the odd liquid. “I.... I’m so sorry, Cayde.” 

Cayde looks up at her from his place on the floor, Andal cradled against his chest. Being an Exo does nothing to hide how lost he looks. He touches a hand to Andal’s face, liquid dripping onto his gloves from the human Hunter’s hair. 

It’s so minute, Kayleigh almost misses it. 

The eye of Andal’s Ghost flickers. 

She waits just to make sure, her gaze hardening on the Ghost as she hopes for it to be true. She can’t help it. Risking a glance at Cayde again leaves her feeling empty, so she prays for the Ghost to be alive. 

Cayde leans his head against Andal’s, permitting himself a moment of weakness with the knowledge that Kayleigh would never betray his confidence. 

The little Light flickers once more and Kayleigh waits. It takes enough time that she starts to doubt herself, but then the eye comes on and holds steady. 

“Cayde!” 

He jumps. “What, what is it?” 

She rushes the settle next to him, holding out the Ghost to him. “Look.” 

Cayde reaches a hand out to Regs, the little Ghost coming online faster by the second. The lens of his eye is cracked, but he’s coming online nonetheless. All this time, and he might make it. 

“_Come on, Regs_.” Cayde whispers. “_Come on, little guy.” _

As if the Traveler himself had blessed Regs, he whirs to life with a confused noise. “Where.... Where are we?” 

“Doesn’t matter.” Cayde answers. “Just revive him!” 

The way Regs looks at Cayde is as if he’s looking directly into his thoughts. The Ghost senses his desperation and turns to Andal. “What’s that stuff all over him?” 

Cayde shakes his head. “Dammit, Regs! Just revive him already!” 

“Okay, okay, just calm down.” 

He expands, drawing Light closer to him as he expands to revive his Guardian. The wound in his chest knits together first, armor mending and old dried blood disappearing as Regs cleans him up. After he’s finished, he disappears, and Cayde can’t say that he blames the little Ghost. 

The Hunter himself comes around coughing, the amber liquid spilling from his mouth as he dispels it. Cayde steadies him as he leans over to wretch, one of the human Hunter’s hands shooting out as a brace. Kayleigh rubs his back, pushing his slick hair out of his face to get a better look at him. 

“Are you okay?” 

He doesn’t say anything, throwing up again and trembling in the silence afterwards. He stares wide-eyed at the floor even as Cayde pulls him back from the mess. He swallows, his chest heaving as he comes out of his daze. 

Kayleigh and Cayde can both tell when he truly returns to alertness, his gaze moving around the room to take it all in. “This.... This isn’t where I died, I don’t think.” 

“You don’t remember?” Cayde asks, his tone rough. 

Andal scrubs a hand over his face, making a face as he feels the strange liquid. “I-it’s fuzzy. What’s,” He heaves another breath, swallowing. “What’s all this weird gunk?” 

Kayleigh has her Ghost pull out a few armor materials, carefully wiping his face as he continues to tremble. “Stasis fluid.” 

Andal looks up at her and she pushes his hair out of his eyes again. “W-why would I be-…" He breaks off, blinking at her and eyeing the area. “What the hell is this place?” His brow crinkles as he realizes something else is off. “What are you doing here, Kayleigh?” 

Kayleigh looks to Cayde. 

Cayde places a careful hand on Andal’s shoulder, the human Hunter turning to face him. “What do you remember, Andal?” 

“I-…. I remember Venus, a-and Taniks putting you out of commission, and Regs.... Regs was hit. Regs was.... Oh, Traveler, where is he? Where’s my Ghost?” 

Cayde rubs his shoulder. “It’s all right, it’s all right. He’s still alive. Regs is right here, safe and sound.” 

Regs materializes, nuzzling his Guardian as Andal comes to grips with just how close of a call it really was. “Oh, Traveler. You really had me worried there for a second, little guy.” 

They spend a few quiet moments just being in each other’s presence before Cayde clears his throat. 

Andal looks to him again, trying to sit up straighter even as the Exo holds him down with gentle hands. “What is it?” 

“Andal.... We thought you were dead.” 

“What?” 

Cayde shifts uncomfortably, tilting head head as if debating over what to tell him. “Andal, I don’t.... I don’t quite know how to break this to you, but.... Buddy, you’ve been gone for seventy years.” 

A startled breath drops from Andal’s mouth. “_What?” _

“You’ve-” 

“N-no, I heard you, I heard you. I-….” He looks back down to the floor and takes a deep breath. 

Before Kayleigh and Cayde have a chance to relax, he’s getting sick again. As he calms down, he starts trembling all over as the slick feeling sinks in. He’s still soaked in the stasis fluid, every inch of his armor feeling thick and slimy. 

Kayleigh quiets him as the shock brings on a bout of tears. Cayde pulls him backwards again to keep him out of the muck. Andal is still shaking, the shock still too heavy for him to really register Kayleigh and Cayde trying to calm him. For him, there’s really no telling how long it takes to come out of it. All he knows is that when he does, it’s almost too abrupt. 

“Regs, do you think you can get the fluid out of his clothes?” 

He floats a little, turning at a bit of an angle to see around the crack in his lens. “I think so. Give me a second.” 

It takes a little bit, but he manages. Andal seems to calm a little more after that, sinking far more willingly into Cayde’s embrace. Traveler, he almost can’t believe it. Seventy years. He’s been gone for seventy years, and he was supposed to be dead all this time. 

Andal huffs softly. _“Damn.” _

“You don’t say.” Cayde answers, his voice choked. 

Cayde holds his brother, rocking back and forth just enough that Andal can feel the action. Andal takes deep breaths, exhaling through his mouth in an attempt to force himself to relax. 

Kayleigh waits for them both to be ready to go, her patience infinite as ever. She grips one of Andal’s hands in her own, his own weak squeeze in response reassuring in more ways than one. 

Cayde tilts him just enough to look at his face. “Think you’re good to get up?” 

“Heh.” Andal chuckles. “Haven’t done anything in seventy years. S’pose it’s worth a shot.” 

Kayleigh and Cayde work together to get him on his feet, Andal stumbling a little clumsily as he gets dizzy. He seems to recover from the lack of activity rather quickly, walking with them into the bright sunlight of the surface. He lifts a hand to shield his eyes, grimacing. Out of habit, he shifts to pull his hood up. 

“Where’s....” He trails off, glancing at Cayde and spotting the object in question covering his shoulders and head. “Nevermind. I’m.... gonna need a cloak when we get to your ship.” 

“I’ve got something that’ll work for you. Don’t worry.” 

Seeing his own cloak draped over Cayde’s shoulders like an oath makes it clear that finding him has been a long time coming. It’s strange for him to see the surface of Venus and know it’s been seventy years since he’s set foot above-ground. Set foot anywhere, really. 

It turns out, the cloak Cayde told him about is called the Warden’s Hood. There’s something about it that Andal likes, but he’s not quite sure what. 

Cayde stays with Andal in the back of the ship, Kayleigh flying just like she always did back before Andal died. Or didn’t. Andal leans on the Exo’s shoulder, feeling exhausted beyond words. All of this is almost too much. 

He sleeps the majority of the way back. Cayde and Kayleigh aren’t surprised. 

Upon arrival at the Tower, they transmat down to the ground, Cayde and Kayleigh walking on either side of Andal as they approach the Hall of the Vanguard. 

Eris barely spares them a second glance as they pass her new station. Supposedly, the little area she had over by the entrance to Tower North wasn’t shadowy and spooky enough. No one has been brave enough to question the move or even to ask her to leave. Shaxx has said on more than one occasion that she watches him with those creepy excuses for eyes, but no one has been able to prove it. 

Cayde moves to stand at his station and Andal follows, his hood drawn up to shade his face just right. 

Zavala glares at Cayde, ignoring Kayleigh glowering at him. “You left without authorization.” 

“You’d have never given me authorization and we both know that. Kayleigh called, I answered, and you didn’t get a say.” Cayde glares right back. “This was about Andal, Zavala. Did you really think I was just gonna stand here an’ stare at a map while Kayleigh walked around in my best friend’s grave?” 

Zavala takes in a heavy breath. “No.” 

“Good.” 

The Commander clearly isn’t a fan of the dismissal, but he doesn’t try to argue with Cayde. For once. “So.... Who is the Hunter you brought back with you. Another stray that Kayleigh found?” 

Cayde’s eyes brighten and he glances at Andal with a look one could only interpret as sly. “What do you say? Care to show your face, buddy?” 

“Sure.” 

Andal tugs his hood down and Zavala’s clipboard clatters down to the floor. “_By the Traveler.” _

Ikora blatantly stares. “You’re alive.” 

Andal smiles warmly, tilting his head. “Surprise.” 

“’Surprise’ doesn’t even begin to cover it, Brask.” Zavala says, his tone so shocked that he loses any inflection that he ever had to begin with. “I believe the three of you have some explaining to do.” 

Cayde shrugs. “What’s there to explain? We thought he was dead. He’s not, the end.” He drops a tiny file with one piece of paper in it as a half-assed field report on the whole matter. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, we’ve gotta get someone settled again and all caught up on the last seventy years.” 

“Cayde-” 

Cayde salutes him while turning away and leaving the room. “Be seeing you, Zavala.” 

Shaxx does a double-take when he sees Andal’s face, moving forwards very, very quickly for a Titan and squeezing him so hard he thinks he might pop something. Andal accepts the hug gratefully. 

“Come on, buddy. Places to go, people to see.” 

Andal follows, keeping his laugh to himself until they’re topside again. The sound is full and loud when he lets it go, sweeping around the Tower and drawing eyes. Banshee-44 looks up from his station so fast that he nearly pops a socket. 

“What in the...?” 

Andal, ever-cheerful and trolling Andal, merely lifts a hand and waves at him like it’s a normal day and he hasn’t just come back from the dead. 

Paying a visit to the Speaker is far too entertaining, but that’s about all the socializing Andal is able to cope with. He’s tired already, and as far as he’s concerned, another nap is right in order. 

“I don’t know that we have any quarters set up for new arrivals right now, but I’m sure Kayleigh would be more than happy to house you until we get something figured out. You could have a slumber party.” 

Kayleigh huffs. “I think we’re a little too old to be having slumber parties, but Andal is welcome to stay at my place. My guest bedroom is always ready.” 

“There, see? Perfect.” Cayde says. 

Kayleigh and Andal share a laugh, but Cayde is being completely serious. After seventy years of thinking his best friend and surrogate brother was dead, it really doesn’t get much more perfect than this.

He isn't ashamed or embarrassed in the least to say that he stayed with his two best friends that night. Calling Shiro and Tevis in the morning brings about all sorts of Hunter mischief that's been missing from Cayde's life for too long. 

Losing Andal.... It turned Cayde into a better man. He'll admit that, but having his brother back just feels right. 

Andal takes all the bear hugs Cayde gives him over the next few days in stride. It's clear to him that Cayde is reminding himself that Andal is right there. He's still alive, and he's not going anywhere, but Cayde still needs that reassurance. He's never heard 'It just hasn't been the same without you, buddy' so many times in his life. 

He's done a lot of growing up. Andal is proud of him for that, and proud of Kayleigh too. She's still as brash as ever, but those actions have been tempered by time. She keeps telling him things that he's missed or just random facts that he didn't really need to know.

It hits him really hard that he's been gone a long time at his first Festival of the Lost since he's been back. No one remembered to take his name off the list until it was too late.

The people he cared about thought he was dead. 

He'd be lying to say that doesn't leave a sour taste in his mouth. The way Zavala and Ikora act around him, as if he's close to breaking at the first sign of trouble, only makes the feeling worse. Sure, it's great to be back, but for Andal, his last death was mere weeks ago. He doesn't like how he's hurting people just by living. He dredges up old wounds by walking into a room, the wounds only happy memories to him. 

It's kind of depressing. 

Andal has never appreciated Cayde, Tevis, Shiro and Kayleigh more, as they're the only people who don't look at him with pain in their eyes. Even Amanda has her moments when she thinks he's not looking.

He's a Hunter. He's always looking. 

The frequency of those gazes dies down after a time and Andal can safely say he's glad. He doesn't want people to walk around on eggshells as if mentioning his death is a traumatic experience. He died and came back. Guardians do it all the time. 

He tells Cayde just that the next time he visits him during Vanguard working hours. Zavala and Ikora left for a walk, so he figured it would be a good time.

The Exo takes in a hesitant breath, one of his first of that sort since Andal woke up. "But... not after seventy years. People are really, really, _really_ glad you're back, but that's.... That is almost astronomically impossible. For your Ghost come come online after being in stasis _and_ after being hurt? Unheard of."

The way he says it has Andal listening a bit closer to the inflection. With a soft breath, Andal lowers himself to the steps next to the long table. Resting his elbows on his knees, he leans his head down, his hands rubbing his face before sliding back to his neck. He clasps his hands there, looking more vulnerable than Cayde has ever seen. 

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do, Cayde."

Cayde feels for him, but he's not sure either.

"Tell me what I'm supposed to do."

With a heavy robotic breath, Cayde puts his holo down and moves to sit down next to the human Hunter on the step. "I don't know that there's much you can do. Best I figure, you just sit tight. Things'll be back to normal in no time."

"Right. Normal."

Cayde pats his shoulder, drawing a smile out of Andal even if it's tight. "As normal as things get for us, anyway."

He loosens up, letting out a soft laugh. "Yeah. I guess you're right."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, buddy. Let's not go too far. The moment you start listening to me is the moment people will think you're a little loose in the head."

Cayde stands, offering Andal a hand as he laughs again. Andal takes it. "To be friends with you, I'd have to be."

"Now, isn't that the truth?" Cayde answers, wrapping an arm around Andal's shoulder and steering him from the room. Both of them relax the farther they get from the Hall. "Come on. Drinks on me, pal."

"I'll take you up on that." 

Maybe things are still weird for now, but Andal has a feeling that Cayde is onto something. 

He's waited seventy years to come home. What's a little longer?


End file.
